Driver issued an Immediate Roadside Prohibition after wildfire is ignited near Nicola Lake

It wasn’t just a typical Sunday drive for one motorist near Merritt on Sunday.

Merritt RCMP were called upon to assist with a single vehicle collision on Hwy 5A at the north tip of Nicola Lake. Initial reports to police indicated that the vehicle had caught fire and was igniting the surrounding bush near the shoulder of the road.

According to a report from Const. Blake Chursinoff, Media Relations Officer for the Merritt RCM,  officers attended the scene and located the reported occurrence. After an initial investigation was done on scene, witness account provided information that the driver of the vehicle was swerving to avoid a fox on the road. When the vehicle hit the ditch, a fire started within the vehicle and spread to the nearby bush, starting a small wildfire. Further into the investigation, the driver of the vehicle was suspected to have been driving while impaired.

Chursinoff added that the officer ” made a demand to the driver, under the authority of the Criminal Code of Canada, to obtain samples of their breath for analysis by means of an approved screening device.”  The driver of the vehicle refused to provide those samples, leaving the investigating officer to issue the driver with an Immediate Roadside Prohibition under the Motor Vehicle Act.

“The Merritt RCMP continues to remind the public about and enforce impaired driving. There is zero leniency with driving while impaired. We are grateful for our partners with BC Wildfire for their swift action in containing the blaze and the public who stayed on scene and were able to provide key information to the officers for their investigation,” says Chursinoff.

The driver is now prohibited from operating a motor vehicle for 90 days and their vehicle will spend the next 30 days at the tow impound lot. At this time, the driver is not being investigated for the ignition of the wildfire.